MANURES AND FERTILIZERS. 14:7 



COMMERCIAL OR MANUFACTURED FERTILIZERS. 



In the early years of the fertilizer industry, the 

 presence of large quantities of chlorine in the potash 

 salts, and the use of animal matter, tankage, blood and 

 fish, together with the general ignorance of the pecul- 

 iarities of the tobacco plant, resulted in the production 

 of unsatisfactory commercial fertilizers for tobacco, and 

 a distrust of such preparations grew up among tobacco 

 growers, which may still .exist in some measure. As the 

 value of the crop increased and large areas were devoted 

 to its culture, more attention has been given to its re- 

 quirements by fertilizer manufacturers. Some of them 

 have made a study of the results of scientific and prac- 

 tical experiments, and there is to-day almost no risk to 

 even so delicate a crop as tobacco, from the judicious 

 use of the best known brands of tobacco fertilizers. The 

 Connecticut valley crop of the finest quality that sold 

 for the highest price in recent years, was grown on a 

 well-known tobacco fertilizer. 



The one condition of fertility that is deficient in 

 prepared fertilizers is organic matter. And manufac- 

 turers make a mistake in advertising the exclusive use 

 of their fertilizers, when far better results can be attained 

 by applying them in conjunction with manure and other 

 organic matter. This has resulted from the idea that 

 where manure is used, fertilizers will not be employed, 

 and, therefore, the less said about manure by the manu- 

 facturers and the more farmers are led away from it, 

 the larger will be the sale of commercial preparations. 

 While this may be true with some crops, it is not so 

 with tobacco. All artificial fertilizers, whether prepared 

 by the manufacturer or the farmer, give the best results 

 on soils in good heart ; that is, rich in organic matter. 



The manufacturers of the best tobacco fertilizers 

 guarantee that the potash is from sulphate salts only, 



